Origins Sunday: Early life liked it salty!

Cool link below describing research that shows how a certain set of 10 amino acids will fold when exposed to high salt concentrations, like those found naturally in certain regions of the early earth.  This may have allowed proteins to be functional before the cellular machinery to fold proteins had yet evolved.  Our earliest ancestors may have been halophiles (salt lovers).  Unfortunately, many of us retain that salt loving trait, and perhaps that's why I love pizza so much?!? - craving the salt that my Archean ancestors loved so!


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130405064027.htm